Gary L. McIntosh, Biblical Church Growth: How You Can Work With God to Build a Faithful Church. Baker, 2003.
Referenced in: Church Growth Philosophy
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
Church growth methodology is often an overly pragmatic “bodies, buildings, and budgets” movement. This may be an overstatement, but is a legitimate criticism in some cases. McIntosh does not necessarily write this volume to quell the critics, but he does offer a thoughtful biblical and theological rationale for church growth. It is a strongly evangelical presentation of the biblical heartbeat of church growth leaders. It surveys the biblical text on issues such as discipleship, the role of the Holy Spirit, faithful shepherds, effective ministers, cultural relevance, targeted evangelism, and simple church structure. In so doing, it also strikes at the motivations of church growth, helping practitioners reach beyond strict pragmatism and redefine themselves in line with scripture. One may not always agree with these definitions and foundations, especially those from a less evangelical or perhaps a missional/emergent mindset. But since most of us are more reactionary than we suppose, it is always good to read from those who take something more seriously than most do, in this case, evangelism. This is the strength of the more responsible church growth materials, of which McIntosh is an excellent representative. Read it to look into the heart of those who sincerely ache over people who do not know Christ, and who agonize over how to create churches that reach the lost more effectively.
Those who benefit from this book and wish to read more of McIntosh’s church growth philosophy can go to others of the McIntosh collection: Church That Works and Thriving Churches for the Twenty-First Century.
From the Publisher
Every pastor wants to have a vibrant, dynamic church. There are many popular models for church growth based on outstanding churches led by outstanding pastors. But unfortunately, specific models are temporary and go out of style quickly. Author Gary McIntosh explores the biblical principles for church growth and applies them to today’s culture. Instead of concentrating on the ephemeral how of church growth, he focuses on the unchanging why. McIntosh defines church growth as “all that is involved in bringing men and women who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ into fellowship with him and into responsible church membership.” In other words, church growth is effective evangelism, not a methodology for increasing membership. According to Biblical Church Growth, growing churches always evidence a desire to fulfill the Great Commission by cooperating with God in building a faithful church. Using personal stories and current statistics as well as numerous biblical examples, the author sets forth ten basic principles that provide an eternal foundation for helping any church-large or small-achieve lasting vitality and growth.
About the Author
Gary L. McIntosh (Ph.D., D.Min., Fuller Theological Seminary) is a nationally known author, speaker, educator, and consultant, as well as a professor of Christian ministry and leadership at Talbot School of Theology, La Mirada, Calif. He is also the president of The McIntosh Church Growth Network, which has served over 500 churches in 55 denominations throughout the U. S. and Canada. He has written extensively in the field of pastoral ministry, leadership, generational studies, and church growth including Biblical Church Growth, One Size Doesn’t Fit All, and The Exodus Principle.
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